It's a scary thought for Colts nation. But one that was a lot closer to reality than you think. No, the Colts weren't toying with the idea of drafting Robert Griffin III at No. 1 instead of Luck.

However, a year earlier, in the 2011 NFL draft, then-Colts president Bill Polian wanted to draft TCU QB Andy Dalton. Or at least that's what Polian told Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, according to NFL.com's Judy Battista.

"Former Colts president Bill Polian, currently serving as an analyst on ESPN despite being widely regarded as one of the best team-builders in the game, ruefully told Lewis that he wouldn't be working in television now if he had only drafted Andy Dalton in the spring of 2011 to be Manning's backup."

With the No. 22 pick, the Colts ended up taking offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo, who has missed just four games in three seasons while starting 44 games at the vital left tackle position since 2011.

Cincinnati picked Dalton with the third pick in Round 2 (No. 35 overall). Like Luck, Dalton has led his team to the playoffs in each of his NFL seasons. The Bengals rewarded Dalton this offseason with a new 6-year contract extension that is reportedly worth up to as much as $115 million.

If Dalton had landed in Indianapolis, the Colts would still be enjoying the presence of a pair of future Hall of Famers in Manning and master team-builder Polian. Dalton, meanwhile, would be biding his time on the bench, wholly unaware of the second-tier quarterback market.The flip side is watching Luck in a different uniform, likely the millennium blue and new century gold of the St. Louis Rams.Fortune often favors the bold. In this case, the Colts literally lucked into Luck.

The Dalton-Polian note is background for Battista's longer story on the importance of having a capable backup quarterback in today's NFL.

Case in point, what happened to the Colts when Manning went down with his serious neck injury in 2011, leaving the team scrambling with the likes of Kerry Collins, Dan Orlovsky and Curtis Painter.

We all remember Curtis Painter. He of the 0-8 record and a 6:9 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Hey, but without Painter, there's no Luck. So give the former Purdue signal caller the due he deserves.